Snake Charmer
by Praelias
Summary: *HIATUS FOR RE-WRITING* Benny panics while fleeing the Strip and asks for help from a local, trusted barkeep named Vera - who he quickly realizes is not who she claims to be. If Caesar doesn't kill them, her past just might.
1. Chapter 1

The Strip was bright and flashy, loud and hectic, and populated with all kinds of people ranging from NCR soldiers to gamblers to prostitutes. It was an area that was safe to wander without a weapon - though Vera would never - and many people seemed to be at ease, which she credited to the Securitrons incessant patrolling.

Vera made her way into The Tops, and was greeted by one of the men behind the counter, garbed in a suit with a smile plastered onto his face.

"Hey, hey, sweetheart! Welcome to the Tops Hotel and Casino," he said. "I'm gonna have to ask you to hand over any weapons you might be carrying."

"Swank," she said, "I'm in here a few times I week these days; I know the drill."

"Yeah, well, it's protocol; I gotta give everyone the same speech when they come in." The man said with a smile.

She laughed a little and removed her pistol from its holster on her thigh, passing it to him. "Here." Unbeknownst to him, she'd kept the knife on her other thigh - and fortunately for her, it wasn't easy to see despite her skin tight dress.

"Smooth and easy, just the way I like it," he replied as he took the pistol. "Don't worry, they'll be safe as kittens 'til you're ready to leave. Oh, and a friendly word of advice: if you happen to "stumble across" any weapons during your stay here, well, just don't wear them openly. You dig?"

"As always," she replied, returning his smile with one that didn't quite reach the eyes. The raven-haired woman made her way over to the casino's bar then, but didn't sit. "Two whiskeys, neat."

The bartender gave a nod and poured the glasses, then set them in front of her. "Enjoy, miss."

Vera nodded a thanks and plucked the glasses off the counter, then turned and sashayed over to a row of booths lining one of the walls; the main part of the room dropped down a foot or two, and was filled with blackjack and roulette tables. Along the wall opposite to the booths were slot machines, and people were everywhere in between.

The woman set her glasses down on one of the booth's tables and took a seat, crossing her legs. Long black hair cascaded down her back, curled with hot rollers, and the little black dress she'd chosen left little to the imagination; technically, she was covered, but she certainly drew a lot of gazes - from men and women alike.

One of those gazes belonged to the owner of the casino, Benny, who stood at the end of the room surrounded by his usual bodyguards and clad in his signature checkered suit.

She flashed him a small smile before shifting her gaze back out to the floor. Like outside, people were at ease; they were laughing and smiling, mostly, except for the drunks who were losing their games. The number of them would increase as the night went on, she knew, and it'd surely please the casino owner since drunks were sloppy, arrogant gamblers. Vera shook her head as she watched and took a sip of her whiskey.

"You here to people-watch again, baby?"

She shifted her gaze to Benny as he approached her, and gave another small smile as her green eyes met his brown ones. "You sound like there's a problem with that."

"This is a casino," he replied. "You gotta start playing, or stay out."

"This is coming from you," she replied with a chortle, "who comes into my bar to have shady meetings and doesn't buy a damn thing." She gestured to her glasses. "You're getting my money, Benny, which is more than I can say about you. What's it matter as long as you're profiting?"

"Look, Vera, baby, I can't be giving you special treatment." He crossed his arms. "You know that."

"And you know by now that I don't gamble." She quirked a brow.

"Well, you're gonna have to start if you wanna keep comin' in."

Vera glowered at him for a moment before sighing and propping her chin in her hand. "One game of Texas Hold'em a night, with you and you alone, then."

He scoffed, then shook his head. "That's the best I'm gonna get, isn't it?"

"You know me better than I thought." She smiled as well and took a sip of whiskey. "I only know how to play that game, by the way, so you're not talking me into anything different."

He raised a brow. "We've got roulette, blackjack, and slots. We don't have Hold'em, baby." A pause, then he slid into the seat across from her. "Why don't you let me teach you, sweetheart?"

"I'm not nearly as dumb as you," she retorted. "You'll do something like teach me the wrong rules so I'll lose every time."

"I'm wounded, Vera," he said with a chuckle. "You really think I'd do something like that?"

She smiled again. "You act like I don't hear how you talk in my bar. I know exactly how much of a snake you are."

Benny paused, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "You aren't supposed to be listening to any of that."

She rolled her eyes, then sighed and looked to him. "It pays to pay attention. Do you have any idea how many fights I've stopped before they even started by eavesdropping? I hear just about everything that goes down there, whether I want to or not, and I know you and your Chairmen do the same thing here." She lowered her voice. "And, my lips are sealed. Nobody's gonna hear anything about your plans from me."

"Watch yourself, baby," he hissed. "You're on thin ice here. How do I know you're not gonna talk? Cause if you do, you and I are gonna have problems," he growled. "Big ones."

She raised a brow. "I've been listening since you started coming last year. If I was gonna say anything, I'd have done it a long time ago. It's your business, not mine, and it isn't my place to step in and mess it up. Just because you're a backstabbing bastard doesn't mean I am." The woman paused and gave him a small smile. "No offense, of course."

The man glowered for a few moments before letting out a frustrated sigh. "I'm guessing that means you know more than you let on about other stuff going down on the Strip, then."

"People from the Strip come to my place because House's securitrons aren't around, and the folks who live in Freeside don't recognize you," she said. "They don't care, either, so they don't listen. You aren't the only one who comes around looking for that kind of anonymity. Talking to someone at a bar draws a lot less attention than taking someone up to your suite, after all."

"So, what," Benny said, "you just sit on all this information and say nothing? Do you have any idea how much power you could have?"

"I don't want power," she snapped. "I'm fine where I am, and sitting on the information I have buys my safety if anything happens; if I were to start using that crap, I'd have a target put on my back and big-shots like you would stop coming. I am _not_ about to take that risk."

"Baby," he said with a laugh, "that's called cowardice."

"No, Benny, it's called being smart. There's a difference, and I have too much that I'm responsible for to be dumb." She let out a sigh and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Look, I'm gonna head home. You know where to find me if you need anything."

"And what if I just want some company?" He smirked.

Vera laughed a bit. "My door is _always _open for that." The woman stood, downed the last of her whiskey, and flashed him one last smile. "See you 'round, Benny."

She grabbed her pistol from the front desk, then exited the building and made her way back toward Freeside. The area wasn't nearly as glamorous as the Strip, but it served her purpose; running a business outside of the Strip was easier, and she didn't have to deal with Mr. House, at least not directly. He'd asked her for information on more than one occasion, but quickly seemed to realize she wasn't willing to give it regardless of how much money he offered. If she started selling people out, she became a target, and if she held onto it, she had leverage if it was needed.

Fortunately, he hadn't done enough research on her to figure out her weak spot.

Upon reaching the bar, Vera made her way inside, locked the doors behind her, and headed upstairs to her living area. The stairs led to a small room with a couch, a chair, a coffee table, and a TV, which was generally kept off; beyond that was a small office, with a twin sized bed for any guests she might have, and to the right was her bedroom.

Her room was small as well, with only a bed, a nightstand, a dresser, and a trunk. Vera removed and hung her dress on the back of her door, then pulled her hair into a bun and slid into bed. Sleep came easily that night, but it wasn't peaceful; instead, it was plagued with nightmares and left her tossing and turning until she woke to someone calling her name.

"Vera!" Benny hissed, shaking her rather roughly. He knew she was a heavy sleeper, and apparently didn't have time to rouse her peacefully. "God damn it, Vera, wake up, baby!"

She woke slowly, despite the shaking, and sleepily rubbed her face. Her gaze shifted to the man then, and she furrowed her brow. "Benny?" The woman huffed and swatted his hands away as she sat up, clearly annoyed with the rude awakening. She sat up, clutching the blankets to her chest. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"No time for questions, baby," he whispered. "Look, I need your help getting outta here; shit just got real bad, and I gotta go."

"So go," she muttered, flopping back down onto the bed. "You know how to survive, right?"

He paused.

Vera sighed and looked to the man in her room. "Are you really telling me you don't know how to make it on your own?"

"Will it get you to help me if I do?" He did know how to make it on his own, but it had been years, and truth be told, he was panicking. House _knew _what he'd been up to, and he sent that god damn courier to deal with him.

She eyed him for a moment, then moved to get up without a word. There was a knock on the doors downstairs, and her eyes flicked to Benny curiously.

He was spooked. "Quick, baby, where can I hide?"

She nodded toward the trunk as she wrapped up in a black satin robe. "There's room in there, I think, but be quiet."

He hurried over and climbed inside without a word. The fact that Vera had been willing to help, with no questions asked upfront, didn't surprise him. He knew she cared about him - despite her swearing she hadn't gotten attached to him - and he knew she was the kind of person that protected her loved ones ferociously. He assumed she'd always kept her distance from him because she knew not to trust him. She was friendly, and she'd become a regular at the Tops, but she never told him anything personal; she didn't ask questions about him either, and make an effort to avoid those topics. He admired that she could control her feelings so well. Most people couldn't, and in her situation, they got clingy.

What _did _surprise him was the amount of caps in the trunk. She had at least a few thousand, all bagged up neatly, and he wondered why she saved it. If it had been him, he'd have moved to a bigger, nicer facility, or at least made upgrades to the one he had. Vera hadn't done anything to her bar since buying it. The only reason he could think of for saving that much was to pay somebody off, and judging by the amount, someone dangerous.

Vera, meanwhile, had gone downstairs to deal with her _other _late-night visitor. She stormed across the floor, letting her heavy footsteps imply she wasn't happy about being woken, and yanked the door open with a scowl plastered on her face. "What in the hell do you think you're doing, waking me up this late?" She gestured to the sky outside. "Can't you see it's the middle of the night, or does somebody need to check your eyes?"

Swank, Benny's right hand man, stood outside with a grave expression on his face He was still in his suit, and armed to the teeth. "Vera," he greeted. "I'm lookin' for Benny. You seen him?"

"Considering you're the one who woke me up?" She crossed her arms. "No, I haven't."

"A lot of people saw him come to Freeside, and we all know he visits you more than either of you admit to." The man paused and glanced around before speaking again. "Listen, he's been trying to overthrow House; he got caught, and-"

"Do you think I don't know what goes on in this bar, Swank?" She interrupted. "He met here a few times, and I over hear a _lot _when people like you come in. I know exactly what he was up to, and I'm telling you, he hasn't been by. If you're so worried about finding him, don't waste your time here, and if you're that sure he's here, feel free to search the place." She stepped aside and held the door open, glowering at the man outside.

He seemed taken aback not only by her outburst, but by her offer to let him check the building.

Vera took advantage of his silence. "If you don't have anything else, Swank, I'm going back to bed. I need all the beauty sleep I can get."

"Uh," he paused, then sighed. "Okay. Let one of the Chairmen know if you see him. Please. Sorry to bother you."

She scoffed, then sighed. "Good luck. House keeps the place safe; I dunno how well a change in ownership would go over." She waited for the man to nod and leave before closing and locking her door, then made her way back upstairs. The woman opened the trunk, helped Benny out, then pulled out clothes from under the bags of caps.

"Who are you trying to pay off with all that?" Benny asked.

Vera paused, then began changing into a set of black pants, a black tank top, and a matching fishnet top over that. "My savings is none of your business."

"Look, if you gotta pay off somebody dangerous, I got a right to know," he argued. "If this guy's gonna come after you, I don't wanna be caught in the middle of it."

"Look, Benny, we need get out of here or you're gonna be in a lot of trouble." She pushed past him to grab a pair of black boots. "Do you have a plan here?"

Benny sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He'd started pacing, but made sure to stay away from the windows so he wasn't seen. "I need to get to Fortification Hill."

Vera whirled to face him as she pulled her hair up. "You've lost your god damn mind, Benny. You need to _run, _and not to the Legion."

"You don't understand, baby; I've got plans for the Strip. Nobody's gonna get in my way."

"Okay, fine," she huffed, "but you need to be smart here. Everyone's looking for you, and you wanna run to a Legion stronghold. What you should be doing is laying low, at least for a while, maybe even somewhere outside of New Vegas."

Benny laughed harshly. "Are you suggesting I let you take me out to the middle of nowhere?"

"Not the middle of nowhere," she replied. "I know a place we can stay, where we'll both be safe."

"And that's outside of Vegas, right?" He scowled. "Vera, I'm not leaving."

"What if I told you the guy I'm paying off is going to hunt me down here?"

"That's _your _problem, toots, not mine."

She huffed, then started snatching the caps from the trunk and tossing them into a duffel bag. "And you're the one who came to me for help."

"I panicked, okay?" He stopped and faced her, his arms crossed. "I can make it on my own-"

"Until you get caught by Legionnaires," she interrupted. "And you're out of shape from the time you've spent on the Strip, so you'd benefit from another gun anyways. You need someone who'll fight just as dirty as you will, and I fit that bill." She tossed a couple extra guns into the bag, some ammo, clothes, and other supplies before turning to face him. "So do you want my help, or do you want to try and make it on your own?"


	2. Chapter 2

The wasteland was far more punishing than Benny remembered. Before House had invited the Boot Riders to the Strip, he would have had no issues; he was fit, then, and about eight years younger. Since then, he'd gotten spoiled. The Strip had plenty of food, nice beds, running water. He'd had bodyguards, for fuck's sake; life was _easy_. It was boring, too, but god, did he missed the luxuries.

Vera - no, _Nevara _had been quiet since sneaking him out of Freeside. He'd initially grilled her about who she was, where she came from, and why she'd come to Vegas, but the woman had snapped at him and threatened to rescind her offer to help him if he didn't shut up.

So he did.

He'd been fuming since then, furious that she not only lied to him, but now refused to come clean about it - as if those things weren't something he'd do himself. Truthfully, he probably could've made it out of the area on his own; he'd just panicked when he heard he'd been caught, and Swank turned on him - all thanks to that damn courier - so he'd gone to one of the few people he knew would help. And she turned out to be almost as much of a snake as he was.

That's what he got for trusting someone.

The sun was rising, and everything in sight was cast in a magnificent shade of orange as he and Nevara neared Goodsprings. His feet and back ached from being on his feet so long, and he wished he was younger, or that he'd stayed in better shape. He let out a sigh and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Nevara, where do you want to stop?"

She slowed her pace for a few moments - which was a relief, considering that she'd been hauling ass since leaving Freeside. He'd had no idea she could move that quickly, but it made it clear that she'd stayed in shape while running her bar - and he was jealous. He thought he'd take House out and take over the Strip, not that he'd be forced to go on the run.

After a moment, Nevara nodded toward a bluff with a little alcove off the ground. "That looks like a good spot."

"We're almost to Goodsprings," he said. "Let's just keep going 'til we get town."

She made note that he wasn't calling her baby, and she knew it was because he was angry. "Benny," she began, "we can't. You stick out like a sore thumb. If we go into town, especially this close to Vegas, we'll have people on our tail by this afternoon. Besides, after the mess with the Courier you told me about, do you really wanna risk it?"

She didn't blame him for being mad, not entirely; she knew she'd be wary if she were in his position, and she knew that he'd probably do something similar to her in the future; it was just the kind of person Benny was. She'd heard enough about him in Vegas to know not to trust him, and that if she let herself get into a position to rely on him, she'd get hurt. Maybe even killed. For now, though, she knew he had a use for her; she'd be fine for a bit.

Benny sighed. He didn't like it, but he knew she was right, so he followed her beeline toward the alcove. It'd be hard for anyone to see them from the ground, even harder to attack without alerting them, and unless something flew in, they'd probably be safe. Uncomfortable, but safe nonetheless.

Nevara adjusted one of the rifles on her back and scanned the wall for footholds, but upon finding none she turned to Benny. "I'll help you up, and then you pull me up behind you? There's no way I'm gonna be able to pull you up if I go first."

He scowled when she turned to face her - still dissatisfied with her lack of explanation - but gave a nod. She clasped her hands together for him to step in, and he did, then climbed up onto her shoulders to reach the ledge and pulled himself up.

He didn't turn back to help her though.

After a few moments, she spoke up. "Benny, you gonna give me a hand here?"

"I dunno, _Nevara_," he practically spat the name, "are you gonna tell me who the hell you are?"

He heard her huff. "Not if you don't help, I'm not."

Benny was half tempted to just leave her. But he needed a second gun, at least for now; Fortification Hill was infested with Legion soldiers, and there was no way he'd get through on his own. Besides that, just surviving would be more difficult given how out of shape he'd gotten. So, he let out a loud sigh - to make it seem like a hassle - and extended his hand. She, of course, hopped up and grabbed it with no issues.

A gunshot rang out, and not a second later, he heard Nevara yelp. He almost dropped her; after all, his first instinct was to take cover and get to a weapon. Instead, he quickly - and roughly - hauled her up the rest of the way.

As she hit the ground, he dove for a rifle she'd given him before they left Freeside and quickly laid on his stomach to look down the scope. He didn't care where she'd been shot, not while the threat was still out there. If she'd been hit somewhere like the chest, she'd be dead soon anyways and there wasn't anything he could do besides kill whoever was after them. Stimpaks couldn't take care of something serious like that, not without the help of actual medical care.

Fortunately, she laid next to him with a rifle of her own and stared down her scope, and for a moment, he was relieved; if she could shoot, then she probably wasn't dying. After a second, she whispered, "Raiders, two o'clock."

Benny aimed at the one with the rifle first. He was the sniper, it seemed, and he couldn't figure out why the group had him shoot. Maybe they figured he'd kill Nevara in one shot, then him, and then they could take everything they'd been carrying. Once the sniper was taken care of, he turned to the raider with the biggest weapon, which looked like a missile launcher - which would be a big problem if it was used.

Nevara fired a few rounds as well and downed two. Raiders weren't known for being smart, but they did have sense enough to retreat when they realized that two decent snipers were steadily taking their comrades down.

She was the first to stop firing, and moved back to her bag - which she'd ditched before laying down to shoot the raiders - to rummage through it in search of medical supplies.

He stayed silent. If she needed help, she'd ask, and until then he'd watch to make sure the raiders didn't return.

"You're really gonna act like a child because I lied to you?" she asked.

"You're really gonna act like I can trust you?" he retorted. If she'd lied about her name and origins, what else had she lied about? Had she been acting too, the whole time she'd been in Vegas? Did he even know what kind of person she was?

"That's rich," she shot back, "coming from you."

She was right, and they both knew it. He was a con. A liar. A snake. He always had been, even before House had brought his tribe to the Strip. Still, he'd be damned if he was just gonna let her get away with pulling the crap he did and turning it back on him; if she was even half as bad as he was, he needed to ditch her as soon as he could or else risk getting screwed.

Nevara apparently took his silence as anger, because she kept talking after giving a heavy sigh. "Fine. You want me to tell you what's actually going on?" She rolled her eyes. "It's not like I can go back to Vegas, so I guess it doesn't matter anymore."

He spared a glance to her at the offer. She'd stripped the clothes off her top half except for her bra. He'd seen her without her clothes more than once, so neither of them were bashful in this situation, but he still took a moment to admire her. Her raven hair fell over her left shoulder, moved so she could see her back easier, and her tanned skin was mottled with scars. A large portion were from knives or bullets, but others were from more vicious creatures.

She'd obviously had it rough growing up. Even though she still had her pants on, he knew there was a nasty scar on her thigh from some kind of dog. He'd helped her deal with it the night it happened, and after, she blew his mind - among other things. On her right shoulder, she had massive claw marks. He speculated it had come from a deathclaw, or maybe a yao guai. He'd never seen one before, but she didn't seem to be from Vegas, so maybe she'd had a run-in with one of the bears.

Nevara was examining the bullet hole in her lower back. It was off to the side, meaning it hadn't hit her spine, but she was clearly having a hard time dealing with it on her own because of the location. Benny sighed then, and reluctantly sat next to her. He moved her hand away from the wound, then grabbed her hips and turned her so he could see it easier. If the bullet were left in when she used a stimpack, it'd just move around inside her and could work its way into an organ - which would be bad. That could kill her.

He half-considered leaving it.

Instead, his gaze shifted to her. "Start talking. I'm not pulling this bullet out 'til you do." Despite the statement, he grabbed a pair of tweezers she'd laid out and dipped them into some whiskey to sanitize them. He'd been shot, and he knew how bad it burned; he also knew that Nevara might throw it back in his face and return the favor later if he waited to remove it.

She tossed a glance over her shoulder at him, then sighed and propped her elbow on her knee to rest her chin in her hand. "I'm from Seattle," she said. "Way up north. We get snow."

His brows knitted together. "That's not all I get, right? Why'd you leave, and how'd you end up in Freeside?"

She paused, then sighed. "Look, Benny, it's a lot. You don't wanna hear my whole life story."

"Considering I don't know who the hell you are anymore, baby, I sure do. Give me some peace of mind, why don't ya? Let me know you're not gonna stab me in my sleep."

Nevara rolled her eyes. "Believe me, if I were gonna do that, I've had plenty of chances." She paused, then bit her lip. Clearly, telling the story made her anxious.

"Well?" he prompted.

She stayed silent for several moments before she spoke again. "Benny, I don't want to get into it."

"Well, too bad. You can't go back to the Strip now anyways, baby, so what's it matter?"

"Any way I can get you to just drop it?"

He smirked as he moved in to grab the bullet. "Not a chance."

She didn't seem to notice when he removed the hunk of metal, which Benny assumed was because she was wrapped up in her thoughts. Eventually, she let her eyes fall shut. "My mom was a drunk, chem-addicted whore. We don't know who my dad was, or my sister's, but honestly it was a miracle either of us were born healthy considering she was high through both of the pregnancies.

"My sister - Alice - took care of me most of the time, and our mom wasn't really around. When she _was _home, she was too high to realize it, and I really don't blame her for never wanting to be around; we had a shack on the outskirts of Seattle and that's about it. Made us an easy target for raiders."

Benny stayed quiet; he'd already used a stimpak to take care of the wound, from her bag of course; there was no chance he'd waste his supplies on her if he could help it. Had to save what he could for when she wasn't around, after all.

"I was kidnapped when I was about nine. Alice had run, and I probably would've too in her shoes. They were planning on just killing or selling me until they realized I could cook, and that I knew how to trap and forage. They kept me around to do that kind of crap, and cleaning, which included mopping up vomit when they got too drunk and handling the frikkin' bathrooms.

"Once I could handle myself, I got to go along on raids; long story short, I got real close to the chief, and four or five years ago I realized it wasn't what I wanted to do with my life, so I left."

He furrowed his brow. She just decided to leave one day, for no reason? That was a lie - or at least, no the whole truth - but he decided not to question it. Instead, he asked, "And they didn't come after you?"

Nevara paused. "They did. I moved in with my sister, who'd married some guy and had a few kids. I had a hard time adjusting to normal life, cause, growing up with raiders doesn't exactly teach you that punching people for looking at you wrong isn't okay. I worked as a mercenary since it didn't require a lot of social skills, and most of the jobs were pretty easy." She paused again, fidgeting with her hair.

"And?" Benny prompted.

She bit her lip, but pressed on. "I came home to my tribe outside my sister's home. The chief took advantage of her while his second in command lit her house on fire - with her husband and kids inside. I, um," she stopped then, her face set in a scowl.

"You ran," he finished. It wasn't hard to come to that conclusion; he'd have done the same thing. Her story hadn't been what he was expecting, but he still wondered why, exactly, she'd left the raiders. They seemed to be doing well for themselves, and she had everything she needed. She'd even gotten close to the chief, which meant she'd had a lot of influence and privileges. There had to be a better reason than she just got tired of it.

"Is that all you wanted to know, Benny?"

He pursed his lips, mulling over the story; she seemed to be telling the truth, but he was still curious. "If all that happened in Seattle, why'd you come all the way to Vegas?"

Nevara bristled at the question. "I'm in hiding."

"What?" He almost laughed, but managed to stop himself. "Sweetheart, if you think your chief is gonna come all this way just for you-"

"He would," she interrupted. "You don't know him like I do, Benny."

"Fair enough, sweetheart" he said, letting his hands rest on her hips. "I hate to break up the heartfelt conversation here, but we need to talk about how we're gonna handle Fortification Hill."

She furrowed her brow. "What? Benny, we can't. You need to run - and not into the arms of Caesar."

He held a finger up. "No, no, hear me out. I'll get caught, on purpose. They'll tie me up and keep me hostage; you show up too, get an audience with Caesar, and get me a stealth boy and a bobby pin. I'll get free, and you can kill the old man and use your own stealth boy to get out - after you shoot Caesar in the head."

"Sounds like you're just leaving me hanging there," she muttered. "I don't like it. I'd rather slip you a gun."

"We can't kill a whole camp of Legionnaires, not on our own."

"Well, ignoring that's what you just suggested I try," Nevara said, "I bet your courier could."


End file.
